Master the globe with an Applied Digital Geography and GIS certificate
Companies and government organizations need to make more informed decisions – and geographic information systems (GIS) can help them make it happen. The Chang School Certificate in Applied Digital Geography and GIS provides the training you need to take advantage of all the career opportunities in this growing field. There are so many public and private sectors you can get into with these skills, whether it’s government, business, utilities, planning, municipal services, health, retailing, environmental management, or community and social services.
You don’t need any GIS experience to take this GIS program. You’ll master the principles and concepts of digital geography and fundamental GIS skills, along with workplace applications, GIS applications, and implementation issues. Plus, the data interpretation and analytical skills you’ll learn during this certificate will set you apart in the job market, since many programs are often limited to teaching only data display and mapping techniques. Our GIS courses also provide presentation training so you can successfully share your GIS analyses and policy recommendations with senior stakeholders.
This GIS certificate prioritizes hands-on assignments to get you career-ready with all the relevant skills, knowledge, and experience to start applying for GIS jobs ASAP. Real-world datasets help you understand the current issues and problems in the industry, and all our course content and examples are updated on a regular basis to ensure they’re relevant to the current job market. We teach you the latest GIS applications being used in the market today, including ArcGIS Pro and QGIS.
All our instructors are experts and active practitioners in the field, so collaborating with your instructors can help you start building your professional network before you even graduate. Plus, you can complete this GIS certificate online in as little as a year and on your own schedule.
So, are you ready to get started?
Who should take this Applied Digital Geography and GIS certificate?
- You’re a professional in another field who’d like to pivot to a career as a GIS professional
- You’re interested in starting a career in the GIS industry
What will you learn while taking the Applied Digital Geography and GIS certificate?
You’ll learn how to:
- Understand geographic databases, visualization, digital geography, and system components
- Identify GIS applications in business, municipalities, utilities, environmental management, and community and social services
- Understand and address legal and ethical issues, innovations in GIS, GIS programming, map algebra, digital image processing, and web mapping
Career Options
This certificate can prepare you for jobs like:
- Decision support analyst or specialist
- GIS analyst, specialist, or technician
- Location analyst
- Research analyst
- Spatial database technician
- Crime analyst
Certificate Requirements
- 2 required courses
- 4 electives**
- Cumulative grade point average (GPA) 1.67+
**Electives are divided into 3 groups, allowing you to focus on an area of interest and then dive into more specialized skills. Select 1 or 2 electives from Group A and 2 or 3 electives from Group B; alternatively, as the final course for certificate completion, you may choose to take 1 elective from Group C.
Admission Criteria
Required:
An undergraduate degree or college diploma in an acceptable related field.
Admission application
You must complete a pre-approval application and receive an approval code before registering in your certificate. It’s best to have your registration in place before enrolling in your first course. First, complete our Application for Program Pre-Approval: Applied Digital Geography and GIS Certificate Program (PDF). Then, submit your required documentation.
Advanced credit
All applicants to the program are eligible to apply for advanced standing, with credit being granted for course work undertaken or for professional practice, provided that the course work or professional practice meets or exceeds the academic goals and content of the program courses for which credit is being sought. Advanced credit applications will be evaluated by the academic coordinator and the program director and are subject to normal Toronto Metropolitan University admission policies and procedures. Learners may be required to take a challenge examination in order to ascertain eligibility for advanced standing. Learners will be eligible for a maximum of three course credits toward the certificate. Questions about this process? Contact academic coordinator Raymond Garrison at geocertificates@torontomu.ca.
Questions?
Contact Client Services ce@torontomu.ca